U3 The Final Enemy (1e)

At last! An opportunity to avert the threat to the little town of Saltmarsh! The real enemies have been identified - evil, cruel creatures, massed in force and viciously organized. Can the brave adventurers thwart this evil and ensure the safety of Saltmarsh?

"The Final Enemy" is the final part in a series of three modules designed and developed in the United Kingdom for beginning adventurers with the AD&D rules. Its plot follows directly from those of the first two parts (U1: "The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh" and U2: "Danger at Dunwater"). This adventure can be played by 8-12 characters of experience levels 3 to 5. This module contains large-scale maps, full background information and detailed encounter descriptions for the players and DM.

Product History

U3: "The Final Enemy" (1983), by Dave J. Browne with development by Don Turnbull, is the final adventure in the "U" trilogy and the fourth product overall from TSR UK. It appeared in 1983.

Sort of a Thinking Mission. Browne is best-known for his adventures requiring more thought-provoking, "cerebral" play than most other adventures of the period. However, "The Final Enemy," which features a massive three-level dungeon, is certainly the least "thoughtful" of his three adventures. Nonetheless, it does have one unusual twist: the players aren't supposed to clear out the dungeon, just survive long enough to recon it and then report back to Alliance forces who will take care of the actual war.

An Actual Underwater Adventure. Though the whole U series is (now) called the "Underwater" series, it's only U3: "The Final Enemy" that actually requires characters to adventure underwater. As such, it also contains full rules for underwater adventuring. The overall experience is a first for the D&D game.

About the Creators. Browne's work on "The Final Enemy" was also his final undertaking for D&D, following his contributions to UK1: "Beyond the Crystal Cave" (1983), which appears to have predated U3 by a short period.

About the Product Historian

This history of this product was researched and written by Shannon Appelcline, the author of Designers & Dragons - a history of the roleplaying industry told one company at a time. Please feel free to mail corrections, comments, and additions to shannon.appelcline@gmail.com.

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